Hourihane to be assessed ahead of Aston Villa’s Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool

Aston Villa will check on the fitness of Conor Hourihane ahead of their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Liverpool.

The midfielder missed the Premier League defeat at Sheffield United but Villa boss Dean Smith was optimistic he would be available on Tuesday night.

Facing a much-changed Reds team, Smith may feel he can afford to make changes of his own. With Jed Steer (Achilles) out injured, Orjan Nyland could start in goal while the likes of Ezri Konsa, Neil Taylor, Douglas Luiz, Trezeguet, Jonathan Kodjia and Jota might also get some game time.

Striker Rhian Brewster is Liverpool’s major doubt for the clash at Villa Park.

With the bulk of the first-team squad on Club World Cup duty in Qatar, Under-23s head coach Neil Critchley will take charge of a young squad.

Brewster, who has played in Liverpool’s two Carabao Cup ties this season, scoring a penalty in the shoot-out win over Arsenal in the last round, sustained an ankle injury in training, and will be assessed ahead of the game to determine if he will lead the Reds’ front line.